In late June, half the public schools in Britain where closed by a massive protest over public pensions cuts, including three major teachers' unions, customs and immigration officers, and air traffic controllers. Some 750,000 people took part in the protest.

London's press has reported that discontent has been simmering among Britain's urban poor for years, in neighborhoods like Tottenham, where the riots started.

But as one man told NBC News about an economic protest two months ago, "There was not a word in the press about our protests. Last night (Saturday) a bit of rioting and looting and now look around you."

In response to the violence, Prime Minister David Cameron has said law and order will prevail in Great Britain and he's doubled the amount of police officers in the streets and instituted curfews for young adults.

Some 250,000 people took to the streets of Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday over the rising cost of living. Demonstrations actually began last month when a few people set up tents in an expensive part of Tel Aviv to protest rising property prices.

The protests have moved to other cities in Israel, where some 50,000 people rallied.

The demonstrations have turned into a major challenge for the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Polls released last week show his approval ratings have dropped while support for the protesters is high.

Netanyahu has announced a series of reforms including freeing up land for construction and offering tax breaks. But the reforms have only increased anger in the streets, according to reports.

Here are some of the demands from protestors, according to Reuters:

Increase personal tax brackets for top earners

Enshrine the right to housing in the law; introduce rent controls; boost mortgage relief

Stop further privatization of things such as health facilities

Provide free education for all from the age of three months

Raise the minimum wage to 50 percent of the average wage

Spain, Greece , Portugal

All three of these European Union nations have experienced protests and rioting in reaction to government austerity programs and bad economic conditions.

This past June, thousands of workers battled for three days with police in the capital city of the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. They were protesting declining living standards.

The recent protests can be traced back to February of this year, in what was an attempt to copy the Arab Spring uprising. That's when calls through Chinese social networks were sent out for an uprising in several local cities.

However, reports say the turnout was small in comparison to the enormous police presence and there were more clashes between journalists and officials than demonstrators.

Syria

In another legacy from the Arab Spring, protests and riots in Syria against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad have been going on for five months.

Reports say at least 1,600 people have been killed by government forces.

The demonstrations are a combination of calls for economic as well as political changes. Assad's government has promised a package of reforms including higher wages, letting political parties exist, easing restrictions on the media, and a new anti-corruption drive. But so far, none of the measures has been set in place.

Last week Assad sent troops and tanks to quell the mostly Sunni Muslim city of Hama in central Syria, and the army launched a similar assault on Sunday against Deir al-Zor.

Syria has cracked down with deadly force on protests in the past. In 1982 then-president Hafez al Assad - the father of Bashar al-Assad - sent troops into the Syrian town of Hama, killing between 10,000 and 40,000 people.

Syria's Arab neighbors as well as the United States have called for Assad to step down. He's ruled Syria for the past 11 years after succeeding his father. Assad says he has no intention of giving up his post as president.